STP S3 E1: <Insert 45 minute riff from the TNG Soundtrack>
I just finished the first episode of Star Trek Picard season 3 and I keep coming back to the same thought:
The best way to watch season 3 is to fully and wholly forget the first two seasons happened. Just start here. Picard is an old, dottering retired Admiral who forgets things. Riker is an old, aching Captain trying too hard to recapture the fun of his Wild Hogs years. Seven is stuck in Starfleet middle-management hell as XO to a by-the-book wet blanket — Captain Shaw, who is also lowkey racist against ex-Borgs. Also, Raffi has a subplot… we’ll come back to that. But to the point, nothing in this first episode relies on you knowing anything from Seasons 1 and 2. This is a good thing. No, scratch that — this is the best of both worlds.
The Good
Badass Bev! I enjoyed the slo-mo pass over Crusher’s props. That was fun. Then the Dancin’ Doc whipped out a Phaser Shotgun™ and started blasting guys right in their face. From behind a locked bulkhead someone was causing a commotion. “Who is that, her kid?” I asked out loud. (It was — and he’s British for “some reason”…) Crusher’s ship is also very cool looking — kind of a better version of a Steamrunner. These are all good things.
